Young and in Love
by TheMoonclaw
Summary: "I want to be young and stupidly in love, just for one night. Break the rules with me?" - really pointless fluff, read at your own risk. And sure, it's part of the Fic-A-Thon (Violet)


**I recently had my feelings hurt by so-called "friends", and so I decided to write something pointlessly fluffy.**

**Anyway, be warned that this is totally pointless fluff and really silly. Only read if you won't vomit from it.**

**And I'm saying it can be included in the Fic-A-Thon because...why not?**

**Enjoy 3.6K of fluffy nonsense...**

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Cuore leaned around the corner, peering into the hallway beyond. She'd heard nothing, but she needed to be cautious all the same.

The corridor was clear, and so she continued along her path, footfalls silent since she'd removed her shoes. They were held between her fingers, dangling from her hand. They were useless contraptions, and no matter how hard she had tried to soften her footsteps, it was impossible in the hard-soles of the dress shoes.

She shot a quick glance over her shoulder as she came to a set of doors, making sure she wasn't being followed, either.

Cuore shifted the grip on her shoes, since her other hand was occupied, and she gently eased the door open. A quick survey of the room beyond revealed nothing, so she slipped inside and carefully shut the door slowly, using her foot.

The passage was dark, but her eyes adjusted quickly and she could make out numerous doors, some with light seeping from the bottom, others without. If she strained her ears, she could make out bits of conversation or bangs coming from behind some of the doors.

Moving silently, she crept along one of the walls, glancing at each door she passed, checking for the numbers inscribed on them before she finally stopped. Cuore paused, bit her lip, and then shifted the grip on her shoes once more so she could knock.

While she waited patiently for the door to open, she slipped both arms behind her back, hiding both objects.

The door opened, spilling light into the hallway and revealing a young man who gave her a suspicious look.

Cuore smiled hesitantly, "Hi, um…is Kieran here?"

She had heard nothing but bad things about his roommates, and she had a feeling that all of them were true. She had no desire to have a conversation with any of them. She was sure it would take a turn for the worst.

She had never met any of them, and so wasn't sure which of the three she was even speaking with. He didn't bother with introductions either, and simply gave her a once over before calling into the room.

"It's for you,"

Cuore made a face, annoyed at the voice tone and the lack of any interaction with her.

It only took a second for Kieran to push his roommate out of the way and glance out, though he only blinked as if confused once he saw her.

"Cuore,"

She smiled shyly, "Hi…"

There was a pause.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered, leaning forward slightly.

Cuore grinned coyly, "I should think that was obvious,"

She found the facial expression shift amusing, and bit her lip to avoid giggling at his expense. He looked a mixture of flattered and chagrined.

"You know," the man who opened the door said with false causality. "The barracks are off limits to non-military personnel."

Kieran rolled his eyes.

Cuore painted the most innocent expression onto her face she could, blinking at him and mustering a saccharine tone of voice. "You mean you don't have girls sneak in here all the time? I'm sorry for you…"

Kieran looked like he was trying not to laugh, and leaned against the doorframe, using the back of his hand to cover his mouth.

Cuore had to stifle her own laugh, and quickly turned back to Kieran, ignoring the other man, which meant she sadly missed his reaction.

"I missed you," she explained, this time not having to put any false sentiments into her tone.

He shifted on his feet slightly, "Rosa wasn't about to invite me to her birthday party, you know."

"Still," she said, pulling one hand from behind her back and holding a plate out to him. "I thought it unfair you wouldn't get any cake, so…here."

Kieran grinned as he took the offering, shooting her a funny look. "You smuggled cake out of Rosa's party for me?"

Cuore nodded, pleased that he seemed to like her gift.

She'd been telling him the truth; after three hours of festivities, she missed his presence. She'd already spent a great deal of time with everyone else at the party, but her family was only here for one night, and she wanted to see him.

Cuore noticed that all three of his teammates were hanging around now and she glanced at them, "Sorry I didn't bring you any,"

She was being sarcastic, and she was fairly certain they knew that by the way they all frowned at her.

Feeling bold, she took a step closer and coiled her fingers around his wrist, holding him in place with his hand occupied holding the plate.

"I was hoping…we could spend time together?" she asked softly, catching his gaze hopefully.

Kieran hesitated, and she saw the conflict on his face. It told her all she needed to know even before he opened his mouth and replied.

"I…would love too, but-"

He was cut off by one of the troublemakers behind him; "There is a curfew in place tonight because of the event, in case you forgot."

"I didn't," Kieran snapped, not bothering to turn around. "Thanks Jansen."

Cuore let her disappointment show, though she was completely finished yet with her tactic. Kieran hadn't flat out said no, and she intended to at least try once more to get her way, no matter the consequences.

"Oh," she muttered, averting her gaze, "I…"

She purposely let her voice trail off, and she heard Kieran sigh, prompting him to speak. "I'm sorry, Cuore. I would love too, but…we're not supposed to just roam around the castle tonight,"

She glanced up, tightening the hold on his arm, "Then, we could run away,"

He blinked and she smiled, leaning forward as she continued. "Just for tonight, run away with me? Out of the castle, away from all this…"

She almost had him, she could tell, so she tipped her head to one side, finishing out her train of thought. "I want to be young and stupidly in love, just for one night. Break the rules with me?"

The final touch to her ploy was to tease him with the lightest kiss in the history of kisses, murmuring a hushed; "Please?" at the end of the statement.

And she knew she had him bent to her will instantly.

Who needed mind control?

Cuore grinned triumphantly at the look he shot her, one that was probably supposed to be reprimanding, but fell short.

"Alright, just for tonight," he conceded.

Cuore yanked on his arm, dragging him from the doorway, and flashed a quick smirk at his roommates. "I'll _try_ to have him back before dawn, if I'm done with him by then."

She used her free hand to slam the door in their faces before prancing away and dragging Kieran with her.

Once they crossed the threshold of the barracks, he started laughing, and she joined in a moment later, spinning around to look at him.

"You did that on purpose," he accused, pointing at her. "You devious little brat,"

Cuore swayed on her feet, "Who, me? Not at all."

Kieran rolled his eyes, "Oh yes, your just the picture of innocence right here, blade dancer."

She giggled, giving a helpless shrug. "I couldn't resist. They were too fun to play with,"

"I'm not complaining," he said, still grinning.

Cuore bit her lip, "You're not going to get into trouble, are you?"

She felt incredibly selfish for forcing him to come with her, but she knew Kieran was stubborn enough to refuse if he had really wanted too. She assumed, anyway.

As if sensing her unease and train of thought, he tugged on her wrist this time, making her stumble a few steps forward. He released her hand and instead wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her closer, other hand still holding the cake.

She giggled, trying to glare at him, though the effect was ruined by how giddy she felt at the prospect of being stupidly in love.

"I don't care if I do," Kieran admitted quietly, grinning at her. "It's totally worth it,"

Cuore averted her gaze, feeling flustered, but she was quickly distracted when he kissed her. It was a good thing the hallway was empty, because they were easily enthralled by each other.

"So," he whispered breathlessly, "Where are we running too?"

Cuore's eyes fluttered open, "I…hadn't thought about it…"

"Then can I kidnap you for a while?"

She paused, wondering why when _he_ suggested something like that it sounded so much more…enticing.

"Um…" she stuttered, feeling flushed.

Kieran chuckled at her, giving her a look, "Oh, I see…you can dish it out, but you can't take it."

Cuore narrowed her eyes and smacked his shoulder, "Cloud biter, you forget who you're dealing with,"

"And who is that?" he teased.

She grinned, "A perfection of life,"

With a swift movement she twisted out of his grasp and spun away from him, flicking her hair and flashing him a smile. "Catch me if you can,"

She took off at a sprint, trying to muffle the giggle she felt in her throat. The hallways may have been empty, but she had no desire to alert anyone that might be nearby to their little game.

Cuore ducked around a corner and continued to flee, grabbing a pillar and swing around it with the momentum she had built up from running, sending her flying on her way through another room.

There was a glass door to one of the gardens and she slipped through it, glad to be free from the confines of the castle. Everything felt so stiff to her this evening, and she wished to be in the boundless night for even a moment.

It felt freeing, and she relished the chill in the air, the stars above her and the crickets chirping somewhere in the distance.

Cuore glanced over her shoulder and frowned, surprised, that she had made it out here without Kieran following right on her heels. She was faster, but he wasn't slow, and he would have had no trouble keeping up with her, she had thought.

She took a few steps into the garden, looking around and noticing at least ten different types of roses in bloom around her.

There was the whoosh of air and she blinked, jumping when someone tapped her shoulder. She squeaked and turned to glare at Kieran, breathing out a; "_Kastra,_"

He grinned, "So…_perfection of life_, I won, what do I get for my troubles?"

"You cheated," she giggled.

Kieran rolled his eyes, "Just because I jumped over the wall when I figured out where you were going doesn't mean I didn't win our little chase,"

Cuore sank to a bench, smiling up at him, "Fair enough, I suppose."

He presented the plate with the piece of cake to her with a flourish, "Would you like to share?"

Cuore raised an eyebrow, "How did you manage to hang onto that?"

"Balance, and talent," he boasted, sitting next to her. "And sheer luck, but, you know…"

Cuore rolled her eyes and took the plate, setting it in her lap and carefully cutting it in half. She felt Kieran gently tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and she smiled softly, enjoying the attention.

"So," he asked quietly, "Was that young and stupid enough for you?"

Cuore grinned at him, "It's a start,"

They sat for a few minutes in the silence of the garden, finishing the cake while Kieran asked her to tell him what he'd missed at the party. Cuore had merely shrugged but nevertheless recounted what she did know.

It had been a grand affair, but she felt so_ bored_ there with nothing to do, and with all of her friends preoccupied with others.

Besides, even after all this time, parties simply weren't her thing.

Kieran finally stood, offering her his hand, "Come on, I want to show you something."

Cuore allowed him to pull her to her feet, and lead her through the winding pathways of the garden until they reached a spot on the wall that was lower, partly crumbled.

"_I_ can jump that, can you climb?" he asked, gesturing to the gap.

Cuore spared him a look, hoping to make him feel foolish for asking such a question. She grabbed hold of the first set of handholds and then sprang up to the next, and the next until she was seated, one leg crossed over the other, on the top of the wall.

She leaned back on her elbows, "You tell me,"

Kieran rolled his eyes below her, "Show off,"

Cuore frowned as he leapt up and landed next to her and she muttered, "Because you aren't?"

"I heard that," he said.

She grinned and let him pull her to her feet again. They moved along the top of the wall as it circled around the entire castle. As they walked, he spoke; "I come up here sometimes when I'm trying to avoid everyone. There's a spot that is amazing at night."

They had moved to the back portion of the castle's taller turrets, and it was as the wall widened and the town was gone from view that he finally halted.

Cuore blinked, "Oh…wow…"

The water from the inlet that led to the nearby sea was speckled with the reflections of the stars from the sky. They shimmered in the water, distorted by every wave, making it look like they were dancing.

Kieran tugged her to sit next to him, dangling their legs off the edge of the wall.

She smiled, eyes tracking every inch of the scenery, from the hard to make out shadows of trees to the outline of mountains in the distance. Everything was amazing.

"It's beautiful." she whispered.

Cuore felt him squeeze her hand. "_You're_ beautiful."

She rolled her eyes and shifted her gaze to him, "That was cheesy,"

"I thought you wanted to pretend to be young and stupidly in love?" Kieran countered, shrugging. "Then it has to be cheesy,"

"Who says?"

"It's one of those unwritten rules,"

Cuore rolled her eyes again and returned her attention to the view, "I see. I'll never memorize them if they are unwritten."

"Good thing I'm here to tell you about them, then." he replied.

She smirked, "What other words of wisdom about being young and stupid can you offer?"

She wasn't expecting him to kiss her. There was no pretense, no hesitation, no preface. Just a passionate, unexpected act of love.

Kieran was the first to pull away, and he leaned forward to whisper into her ear the verbal answer to her question; "That it's a lie when people go out to stargaze…they're not going to look at stars,"

"How odd," she murmured. "What are they going for, then?"

"Like you don't know," he said, fingers sliding through her hair to cup the back of her head.

Cuore closed her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips, "I want you to _explain_ it to me,"

He kissed her again, and she sighed, fully expected this kind of activity to be included in an evening of being stupidly in love.

She wasn't so sure being 'young' had anything to do with it.

They continued to kiss, and the first chance she got she felt compelled to whisper that she loved him, even though the words tasted foolish to her. Surely he knew how she felt already and to say it was unnecessary.

And yet, the moment she finished whispering, his demeanor changed; the way he held her tighter, the way the kisses changed.

But what made her realize how important the words were was when he said them back, filled with such conviction and tender affection that it startled her.

Whatever it was about those simple words, they were in fact imperative.

A firework burst overhead and broke their kiss apart.

Cuore blinked at the dazzling display of green and orange as the sparks fell to the earth and died out.

"Fireworks too?" Kieran questioned. "Crystals, this is some party..."

"I'm sorry you didn't get to go," she said, eyes still cast upward as another firework lit up. This one was blue.

Kieran, who was still holding onto her partway, let his fingers glide down her arm. "Oh, I don't know…I think spending time with you was better."

"We could have spent time together at the party," she pointed out, shivering at the way he was stroking her.

He raised an eyebrow, "Not like this."

Cuore grinned, "I suppose you do have a point there…"

With a sigh, he disentangled his arms from around her and stood, offering a hand down to her. "Come on, I should get you back."

Cuore flashed him a disappointed frown and Kieran shrugged, "Don't look at me like that! I'm not saying this because I'm in any way done spending time with you, but…someone is going to notice you're gone from the party and start to worry. Besides, with the fireworks everyone will be distracted and it'll be easier to sneak you back inside undetected."

She sighed, climbing to her feet, "Logical as always…"

"Hey, that's my line…" he muttered, holding onto her elbows. She found the gesture amusing, considering she had perfect balance. Or maybe he was just using it as an excuse to keep tactile contact with her a little longer.

She didn't mind.

"I was anything but logical tonight," she said proudly. "I was the one who suggested we do something reckless."

"I know, I'm such a bad influence on you," Kieran teased.

They backtracked as the fireworks continued, and Cuore cast one last look over her shoulder as a purple firework burst overhead, reflecting in the rippling water below. It created an illusion she wouldn't forget anytime soon.

Once at the wall's gap once more, Cuore paused at Kieran's insistence that he go first. She followed his instructions on where to place her feet, jumping once she deemed she was close enough to the ground to land safely.

Kieran guided her with his hands anyway, making sure she was on her feet. He didn't let go of her hands and instead slid his fingers up her arms to catch her elbows, effectively dragging her closer to him.

He kissed her again, slowly, and Cuore tugged on his jacket to pull him closer, giddy again. His lips moved from hers to her cheek first, then her jaw.

"I thought you were taking me back to the party?" she whispered, smirking. She kept her eyes closed, resisting the urge to tease him further when she felt his hands leave her elbows and rest on her waist.

"In a minute," he mumbled.

Cuore giggled then and ducked partly out of his grasp, voice scolding. "Kieran,"

"Sorry," he apologized, loosening his grip on her and wincing.

She shook her head, pressing her index finger against his lips, "Don't worry. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to stay right here all night, just like this, but…"

Kieran nodded, taking a step back and retaking her hands. He gave her a twirl, commenting, "Alright, then let's go."

Cuore flashed him a smile, quickening their pace through the gardens. Kieran stopped her before she opened the door and sighed, "Cuore,"

She paused, staring at him with her full attention.

Kieran averted his gaze, "I…tried to switch patrols tomorrow so I could see you in the morning before you left, but…"

"It's okay," she said, smiling. "You have a job to do, I know that. That's why tonight was so important."

He looked like he wanted to make further comment, but she held up a hand to stall him. "Kieran, we're supposed to be acting our age tonight, being reckless and rash and madly in love. Don't drag it down with practicality. The two of us do that enough as it is."

He chuckled, "Fair enough."

She smirked and opened the door only to hop backwards in surprise.

"Kain," she greeted, hoping she didn't sound as off-balance as she felt.

He just blinked at her, leaning against the wall near the door. "Oh, Cuore." he greeted nonchalantly. "I think your dad was looking for you."

She winced, though she tried to cover it by laughing. The sound and her fidgeting only made her look more nervous, which in turn made her look guilty of something.

And maybe she was, though they hadn't actually _done_ anything. Something still told her she'd be in trouble if her parents knew where'd she'd been for the last hour or two.

Kieran was glaring at his mentor, but Kain just stared back at him, an amused expression on his face.

"I suppose you were doing something important out here past curfew?" he asked.

Cuore winced again, "It was my idea," she quickly explained, hoping to spare Kieran any trouble.

Kain nodded slowly, "And I'm sure you _really_ had to twist his arm,"

She frowned and Kieran glared at him again.

Kain sighed and waved them inside, "Come on, get in here before someone else sees the two of you."

"We're not in trouble?" Cuore asked, puzzled as Kieran shoved her inside and closed the door.

Kain gave her a look, "I'm not your guardians. Besides, I'm not at the party, am I?"

Cuore blinked and Kieran crossed his arms, "Yeah, why is that?"

"Don't push your luck," Kain complained, shooing them out of the room. Once they were out of his sight lines, Cuore giggled.

Kieran gave her a funny look and she waved a hand, "I'm just…curious to see if Izayoi is at this party when I get back,"

They both shared a laugh.

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**See? Pointless fluffy nonsense...**

**Hopefully someone still enjoyed it...it was kind of fun to write. And it's good practice since this is really, really mushy for me...like...almost too much so...**

**There was a concept behind this, and that is that both Kieran and Cuore I realized had to grow up very fast and had awkwardly un-normal childhoods and teenage years, so of course they would want to try their hand at being reckless young people once in a while since their both so serious all the time.**

**And I love throwing Kain randomly into stories to be an ass...it just works, somehow...**

**But anyway, there you go...I'm also working on other stories, so at some point those will show up.**


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